


The Street Where You Live

by yourebrilliant



Category: White Collar
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-16
Updated: 2013-01-16
Packaged: 2017-11-25 18:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/641689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourebrilliant/pseuds/yourebrilliant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal has impulse control issues</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Street Where You Live

**Author's Note:**

> (set approx. 2003 according to [](http://china-shop.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://china-shop.livejournal.com/)**china_shop** 's timeline)

Standing on the street opposite Agent Peter Burke’s charming row house, Neal wondered what the hell was doing. Somehow he didn’t think “Know thy enemy” stretched to gazing wistfully at thy enemy’s house. But, there was something about this Agent, something about his bulky suit, his awful ties. His reassuring smile. In the month since he’d met Peter, Neal had done at least as much research into him as he had done into Adler, and everything he learned made him want to know more. So when he discovered Peter’s address, he had been unable to stop himself from jumping in a cab and coming to see how the law-abiding half lived. Ruefully, Neal scrubbed a hand over his face; Mozzie was right, he had impulse control issues.

Before he could hail a cab and get the hell out of Brooklyn, a sandy haired bundle of fur bounded up the street towards him barking its head off. Neal grinned, he was a sucker for dogs, and crouched beside the puppy. ‘Hey, buddy,’ he crooned, carefully extending a hand. Curious, the dog stopped its barking to sniff at the outstretched fingers. After a second, it bestowed a friendly lick and whuffed happily. Neal reached out and scooped it up. ‘Look at you,’ he murmured, beaming at the dog, which was now washing his face, ‘you’re just a big bundle of happy, aren’t you?’ The dog whuffed again, and Neal laughed. ‘What’s your name, buddy?’ he murmured, reaching out to slide the dog’s collar round so he could see the small gold tag dangling from the leather. ‘Satchmo?’ he murmured, amused. ‘Good name.’ Satchmo wriggled restlessly in Neal’s arms. ‘Calm down,’ he said, scratching the dog’s fur until he settled down again. ‘Where have you run away from, huh?’ Neal turned over the collar and peered at the engraved address. ‘Oh,’ he said, looking over at the house opposite him, ‘this is not good.’

 

‘Satchmo? Where are you, honey?’ El called, her tone increasingly frantic. She had come home on her lunch to walk Satchmo, but he had wriggled out of the leash and bounded off. Now she was almost back at the house and still no sign of him. ‘Satch!’ she called, ‘Satchm-’ At the sight in front of her, El’s voice tailed off. A beautiful young man with fluffy black hair was cradling Satchmo, gently scratching her dog’s ears as he contemplated her house. He must have felt her watching; suddenly he turned round and El found herself caught in a sharp blue-eyed gaze.

 

Neal was still trying to think of a way out of his unfortunate situation, when he felt someone watching him. Looking round, he saw a beautiful woman staring at him in shock. Suddenly she seemed to pull herself together. ‘Thank you so much!’ she called, striding forward.

‘Oh, is he yours?’ Neal asked, trying not to panic. So, now not only was he standing opposite Agent Burke’s home, he was holding his dog _and_ talking to his wife. Mozzie was going to kill him.

‘Yes,’ she was saying, ‘he slipped off the leash when I was walking him. I’ve been looking all over for him. I’m Elizabeth Burke,’ she said, smiling warmly at him.

‘Nice to meet you,’ Neal replied, returning her smile. ‘He’s quite a handful,’ he commented, distracting her before she could notice that he hadn’t given her his name in return.

‘Well, you certainly seem to have the hang of it,’ she commented, nodding to Satchmo, who was now snuggled against Neal’s chest, his eyes half-lidded.

‘Oh, well, I used to have a dog,’ he explained, shrugging modestly. Elizabeth tilted her head, giving him such a searching gaze that he shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

‘He must be getting heavy,’ Elizabeth commented, misinterpreting his actions.

Neal tried not to sigh with relief. As loath as he was to hand over the adorable puppy who was snuggled against him so trustingly, he _had_ to get out of there before Agent Burke unexpectedly dropped by, or something else – equally dire – occurred. ‘Well, maybe a little,’ he hedged, smiling his most charming smile. He held Satchmo out and Elizabeth carefully accepted him, cradling him close. ‘Well, I should get going.’ Neal smiled again, and turned away.

‘Do you live around here?’ Elizabeth asked suddenly, and Neal froze.

‘No,’ he said, frantically trying to think of an explanation for his presence in the area. ‘No, I was...just visiting,’ he said.

Elizabeth smiled at him warmly, but she seemed to realise that there was something he wasn’t saying. ‘Well, I hope you visit again,’ she said, cheerily.

‘It was nice to meet you,’ Neal demurred. Smiling, he winked roguishly at her, and walked away.


End file.
